Judy Elbring begins by explaining how she became interested in joining the Army as a nurse. After discussing her training, she describes her arrival in Vietnam and her first assignment at a hospital near Qui Nhon, both in terms of work and social life. She describes her work in two other hospitals, at An Khe and Chu Lai, during her first tour, noting in particular her interactions with North Vietnamese prisoners. She describes her return to her hometown of Paducah, Kentucky and, after two years of continued work as a nurse at Valley Forge General Hospital in Pennsylvania, her decision to return to Vietnam for a second tour. She describes her work during this second tour with terminal patients, her helping her brother to recover from an injury, and changes that had taken place since her first tour. She discusses her life after the war, especially her increasing awareness of political issues related to Vietnam.
Access the entire interview below:
https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7wst7dv91j
The Judy Hartline Elbring interview is part of the Nunn Center's American Veterans: Vietnam War Oral History Project:
Access the full collection below:
